Are you a Burger Boss? Sausage Specialist? Meatloaf Maestro? Take your home cooking up a notch by grinding your own meats at home and REALY make an impression. Grinding your own meats at home is a simple thing with the right equipment, and the results are rewarding for those with a creative spirit. Grinding my own meats allows me to create different blends of ingredients for all sorts of dishes and meals. Did I even mention the meatballs I made that night? Oh baby. AWESOME MEATBALLS. If you’re looking to make a truly stellar burger or sausage, grinding your own meat is the way to go. Go for a finer grind for foods like meatballs or meatloaf where you want more compaction, or a courser grind where you prefer something light and juicy, like burgers or sausages. If you’re interested in making your own ground meats at home, here are a few tips to help you. They work for me. I used to use a manual grinder with a hand crank. It would clamp onto the end of the counter, but it often slipped, which made the process more difficult. If you’re just starting out, you might want to go with a manual grinder, just to test the waters. They’re inexpensive and will help you learn whether or not grinding your own meats is for you. You can also use a food processor or hand chop meats, though these methods take quite a bit more effort. One suggestion, however, when choosing – consider your fat ratios. There is a reason 80/20 is preferred. Cheaper, fattier cuts of meat are ideal for grinding. These cuts don’t do well with other cooking methods, but stand out substantially when ground. If you can get your mixtures to close to 20 percent fat, you’ll be happy. Once you’ve chosen your meats, it’s time to get grinding. You want the meat to be cold and firm, but not frozen. This will help reduce the gumming up of meat at the grinder head, which can easily happen with more pliable meat. Fat in particular has a tendency to smear up, so chilling the meat first is vitally important. I cut mine into strips and it worked out just fine. Second, set up the grinder and feed the meat into the top. With your KitchenAid, use a higher speed to keep the process moving quickly. Stuff the meat down with the handheld attachment, the stomper, and let the grinder to the work. Set a chilled bowl below the spout and let the beautiful ground meat spill into it. Next, decide on your finished product and flavor combinations. Will it be Beef-Veal Meatloaf tonight? Chicken and Cheese Brats? Homemade chorizo? Cajun Style Beef Burgers? Italian Sausages? The choice is yours! Here is what we made from our meat grinding session. My plan is to post the actual photos of these final recipes on the blog in the future and to refer back to this post. KitchenAid Food Grinder Attachment for Stand Mixer with Bonus Sausage Stuffer
